Fourth graders at Remington Traditional learned about the global water crisis and raised $500 for water.org during a project based learning assignment. Students and guests attended a water fair on Dec. 2 to hear the fourth graders’ presentations and to purchase water bottle stickers that the students created.

“The students wrote essays about the different countries after they did research using nonfiction books and water.org’s website,” teacher Julie Linck said. “Then we came together as a class to talk about how we can help.”

The students voted on making something to sell in order to raise money and collaborated with district technology specialist Stephanie McCreary after she introduced the Canva app to classroom teachers Linck and Alyssa Lipson. 

Kindergartners at Parkwood Elementary School collected non-perishable food items for the Community Helping Ministry. To show gratitude to anyone that donated items, students and staff members were able to visit the kindergarten art fair and pick out a number of crafts based on the amount of items donated.

Kindergartner Donielle Ivy Jr. said the items collected will help those in need.

“We’re collecting food for people that live around us,” he said.

The Community Helping Ministry serves families in need in the Maryland Heights and Bridgeton area and the teachers estimate about 700 items were collected.

The Pattonville district technology specialist team hosted a maker fair in the Learning Center board room on Dec. 7. It was also an opportunity for staff to showcase their own creative projects and network with other makers. 

“We wanted to come up with something that wasn’t necessarily professional development but something that was a community event,” Stephanie McCreary said who works as the DTS at Willow Brook Elementary School and Remington Traditional School. 

Staff had the chance to create a T-shirt using a design they created in Canva, check out a 3D printer demonstration, and learn a few pointers from the technology department.

Back in 2012, when Pattonville High School graduate Sarah Hasekamp was in seventh grade at Holman Middle School, Dr. Julia Gaines (then professor of percussion and now director of the School of Music at the University of Missouri) presented to her band class. On Nov. 21, the 2018 Pattonville graduate served as the presenter to the middle school musicians.

“Dr. Gaines was my percussion professor when I was at Mizzou,” band teacher Adam Hall said. “Sarah was a student in that class, and today, she is in the front of the group performing and talking about her professional music life.”